Dozens of personal injury lawsuits against Toyota Motor Corp. will be allowed to move forward if a federal judge’s tentative ruling becomes final. U.S. District Judge James V. Selna issued the order Wednesday, then heard arguments Thursday so he could consider his final ruling. Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Robinson says the development would be a victory for 51 plaintiffs who filed personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits against the Japanese automaker. Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed since Toyota starting recalling millions of vehicles because of acceleration problems and brake defects. The cases have been consolidated in Selna’s California court. Toyota says in a statement that it’s happy the judge will allow attorneys to depose some plaintiffs so it can learn the facts of their cases.

Business inventories at the wholesale level rose for the 10th straight month in October while sales were up by the largest amount in seven months. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that wholesale inventories rose 1.9 percent in October, a much larger gain than many economists were expecting. Sales jumped 2.2 percent, the biggest increase since March. The strong gains in both inventories and sales were encouraging signs that manufacturers will continue to see demand boosted by business efforts to restock depleted store shelves. Inventory rebuilding has been a key factor supporting the economy’s efforts to recover from the 2007-09 recession. The 1.9 percent rise in October inventories followed an even larger 2.1 percent jump in September and pushed wholesale inventories to $427.1 billion, 9.9 percent above the level of a year ago.

Another 17 of America’s richest people, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, junk bond pioneer Michael Milken and AOL co-founder Steve Case, have promised to give away most of their wealth. At 26, Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world’s youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy. Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system. Now, he’s in the company of media titans Carl Icahn, 74, Barry Diller, 68, and others who have joined Giving Pledge, an effort led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett to commit the country’s wealthiest people to step up their charitable donations. The group has signed up 57 people and their families since launching the campaign in June. The list also includes New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, CNN founder Ted Turner and film director George Lucas.

Homeowners who delayed locking in super-low mortgage rates – think close to 4 percent for a 30-year fixed – may have waited too long. Rates are creeping back up, in part because of the tax-cut deal in Washington. Now those in the market to buy or refinance have to decide whether to take what’s available or wait – and run the risk that rates will keep rising. Freddie Mac, the government-backed company that buys and sells mortgages, said Thursday that average rates on 15- and 30-year fixed loans increased sharply from last week. It was the fourth straight weekly rise. Fixed rates had been the lowest in decades. Rates are rising because they tend to follow the trends set by government bonds, like the 10-year Treasury bond. Investors are selling those bonds, causing their interest rates to rise, because of the deal President Barack Obama and Republicans reached to hold off tax increases in 2011 and 2012 and cut taxes for most Americans.